The Editors Discuss: Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is rightly in trouble over some truly terrible comments he made about a woman named Sandra Fluke. Limbaugh has been pulling this kind of shit for years but, if we remember our Nietzsche, us bloggers should recognize something about monster hunting and looking into an abyss. Maybe? Editors Jennifer Wright and Ashley Cardiff don’t really remember their Nietzsche because we tossed out all our birth control and replaced it with OxyContin. Let’s do this.

…But this is easily the wittiest, most self-aware commentary on the issue I’ve seen so far.

cleo

Ewwwww! No, I don’t even want to be in the same room, let alone f*ck him!

MR

What always amazes me is how far this guy has gotten being such an instigator. He creates really bad gravity for the Country.

Antonio Sosa

The more “progressives” (commies) demonize Rush, the more the rest of us support Rush. By the way, why does that sluttish FLUKE think we must pay for her sleeping around instead of studying at the university?

Maggie

Oh dear. You’ve completely missed the point, and proven yourself ignorant at the same time. I sincerely hope men who share your views don’t have daughters.

John Falstaff

I wish I was amazed at these fine ladies’ lack of capacity to comprehend satire on subjects that they enjoy affecting outrage over. Limbaugh knows his listeners, and is making ridiculous statements regarding issues important to his core audience, much like Jon Stewart does.

The difference is, Limbaugh’s fans know it’s satire and don’t take it at face value, while the other side throws a tantrum. Stewart’s sycophantic sheeple cheer wildly and think it’s all unerringly so, while conservative pundits generally leave his gross mischaracterizations and untruths alone because they’d look foolish if they treated them as serious statements.

Also, good job calling millions of people “racists” and “bad people” based on their radio listening habits.

Shame on the left for taking a non-issue and manufacturing a controversy.
Shame on both sides for politicizing women’s health.

porkchop

SOME of Limbaugh’s fans know it’s satire.

Just like some of Jon Stewart’s fans agree with everything he says because he’s soooo cute…

MR

I don’t follow or listen to Limbaugh or Stewart. But according to your logic it’s like me calling you a douchebag jokingly. Hey, it’s only a satire. But then when people see you, they say: “Hey, douchebag!”. You smile and you laugh, right? And the women who don’t know you, who are standing around you as you accept the label, can’t wait to go on a date with you, right? Whatever its intention, it could be misinterpreted. So call it what it is. This woman is not a slut.

Mistie

If you think Rush Limbaugh is using satire, you don’t know what that word means.

If it walks like a racist, talks like a racist, and hangs out with a racist; fuck yes, I’m calling it a racist.

Krissy

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Jennifer Wright

You know, I think a lot of what we were debating is when it’s appropriate to say outrageous things because they’re absurd and will be interpreted as humor and when it’s not. I do not, for instance, believe that Ashley really is a fetus-eater, and I don’t think that anyone in the audience will think she is either, though I guess some people could find it offensive (particularly the baby-eating portion of our readers). It’s always a fairly fine line to figure out when things will be taken as funny versus when things will come off as mean-spirited, and I think that line is subjective.

Except in the case of Rush Limbaugh, because, wow, that guy is super offensive.

Ashley Cardiff

AND racist!

Krissy

I really love Rush, but I can understand how others would not. I am very conservative, and frankly, laugh at a lot of what he says (for example: he obviously does not mean he should literally be able to watch Ms. Fluke have sex). It is satire, over the top rhetoric to catch your attention.

However, his underlying message is usually spot on. Why should taxpayers pay for Ms. Fluke’s sexual encounters? I am a law student, and I take birth control (I have PMDD and get debilitating cramps). It does not run me out of house and home, and I put affording some luxuries to the side so that I can afford it. I budget. Does Ms. Fluke have a medical disorder requiring birth control? Or am I really about to begin paying for her to have all the sex she wants? If she’s an adult who can consent to sex, then she can buy her own contraception.

Jennifer Wright

The issue is definitely very complex, but, taking that into account, I still don’t want to hear someone who looks like one of my dad’s friends talk about how he wants to watch a young woman videotape herself having sex. Because that is just plain a gross thing to say, and I think that if someone were to say it in an actual social situation, everyone would think “wow, that guy is a creep.”

Krissy

Jennifer -
I understand what you’re saying, but he does that with everything. And he does it for the very reason of getting the attention of many and bringing it to matters at hand. He got everyone’s attention, so it was successful. (Even though he garnered way more negative attention than what I think he was anticipating).
I also think that to pull this apart and single him out as offensive (even though he is, and purposely so) is unfair. I doubt in a social setting the ladies who authored this article would call me a racist or bad person to my face. It’s offensive, too. Both sides are constantly saying offensive things.

Krissy

Jennifer –
I just noticed that you are, in fact, one of the ladies who authored this post. I apologize for that oversight on my part before.
I also wanted to include these links in case my comment about both sides being offensive seemed unfounded.

Jennifer -
I just noticed that you are, in fact, one of the ladies who authored this post, so I apologize for that oversight in my previous comment.

Second, I just wanted to include some more information in case my comment about both sides being offensive seemed unfounded, but I can’t post links. So, if you’d like more info, google “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Mysogynist” at The Daily Beast and “Will Obama Super PAC Return Misogynist Bill Maher’s Million-Dollar Donation?” at the Weekly Standard.

There’s an unbelievable left swing in the media as far as reporting offensive comments made by people of authority. Rush is certainly not the first, nor the only one.

Steve P

The whole affair would be an uproarious farce it werenâ€™t for the very real damage to people that results. Please do read this article from a distraught mother who is trying to help her daughter recover from the abuse she has suffered as a result of Limbaughâ€™s rant: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/04/1070800/-I-ve-spent-the-past-2-days-trying-to-convince-my-16-y-o-she-is-not-a-slut. Then letâ€™s ask ourselves â€śHow many times, in how many homes has this story been repeated?â€ť With all due respect to some commentators who claim that Limbaughâ€™s remarks intended as satire and that his fans do not take him literally, this article makes it clear that many of his followers do take him literally and this is the result.

Krissy

Steve -
It says in the first few paragraphs of the link you posted that the daughter is not sexually active. That’s what this is about. Of course if she has a medical disorder, that makes the argument different. However, to my knowledge, Ms. Fluke is not taking birth control for a medical disorder. She is taking it as contraception, and purely as contraception. She is taking it to have sex, a lot of sex, without consequences – and wants everyone else to pay for it. That’s the crux of the matter – not high schoolers who need birth control and catty cheerleaders.

Maggie

Krissy, on whose authority can you say that Sandra Fluke is “having a lot of sex”? The point of birth control is so a woman can protect her body and make safe, informed decisions when it comes to sex, and the number of partners is irrelevant. How much sex someone has has no bearing on the amount of birth control she is using. I can’t believe that you, as a woman, can say something like that about another woman who is simply asking for the right to protect herself.

Krissy

Maggie -
You’re correct, I have no idea how many sexual partners she’s having. But she stood up and said that she cannot afford her yearly birth control which is costing her $3000 and wants me, as the taxpayer, to pay the tab. She, to my knowledge, does not have a medical condition that would be helped or cured with birth control. So that’s $3000 a year for sex. There are cheaper contraceptive methods if she can’t afford that particular avenue, and has no right to demand Georgetown change its policies or make the taxpayer pay for it.

Krissy

Jennifer -
For some reason it won’t let me comment on your comment, which is odd, so I’ll just do it here.
I just noticed that you are in fact one of the ladies who authored this post, so I apologize for that oversight in my previous comment.
Next, I just wanted to include some links in case my comment about both sides being offensive seemed unfounded.

Krissy:
I assume then that you expect her to remain celibate until she can afford her own contraceptives?

Krissy

Steve -
Yes, either remain celibate until she can afford it, or find a cheaper contraception method. If she had a medical condition, this would be a different debate. But if it is purely for sex, why should I fund that for her? I really love high heels. I need them for school. I would really love a pair of Louboutins, but I wear Payless because while in law school, that’s all I can afford. I don’t expect other people to pay for me to own a pair of Louboutins. She can buy condoms, or a cheaper brand that isn’t $3000, or could have chosen a school that afforded her the “protection” she is seeking. She had so many options! She knew Georgetown’s policies before she chose to attend, decided to go anyways, and then demanded that THEY change for HER. That’s ludicrous.

“Fluke came to Georgetown University interested in contraceptive coverage: She researched the Jesuit collegeâ€™s health plans for students before enrolling, and found that birth control was not included. â€śI decided I was absolutely not willing to compromise the quality of my education in exchange for my health care,â€ť says Fluke, who has spent the past three years lobbying the administration to change its policy on the issue. The issue got the university presidentâ€™s office last spring, where Georgetown declined to change its policy.”
– From a Life News article

Steve P

You say “Yes, either remain celibate until she can afford it, or find a cheaper contraception method.” Would you make the same demand of a male of the equivelant age (30yrs)? Or do you want to re-instate the double standard?

Steve -
Yes, I would absolutely say the same thing about a 30 year old male. Why wouldn’t I? I’ve never made a gender based double standard comment anywhere. Either you can afford it, or you cannot. It’s as simple as that.
Sex is either procreational or recreational. I think it’s quite clear in Ms. Fluke’s case it is not procreational. Why should others be forced to pay for her recreational activities? I want to learn to golf, but I’ll wait until I can afford lessons instead of demanding someone pay for it for me.

Mistie -
I hadn’t heard about the friend – I’d love a link to more information. Is her friend also a law student at Georgetown? Did her friend also already know of Georgetown’s policies already in place before she attended? It’s also not true that either insurance covers birth control, or it does not. In the WSJ, in an opinion authored by a JD graduate of Georgetown, she says that medical conditions that are remedied by birth control are covered by Georgetown’s policies. There are options for everyone. Demanding a third party, whose policies were already clearly stated, change their policies to fit your own needs is not the answer. Again, I don’t know much about the friend, I’d need more information.

It appears The Gloss doesn’t want me to comment on this post anymore, I’m having to post this on a different computer. I’m not ignoring any comments. If anyone would like to debate further, please email me at krissyyork31@gmail.com. I always love a good debate! :)
Cheers,
Krissy

Krissy

Steve -
Yes, I would absolutely say the same thing about a 30 year old male. Why wouldn’t I? I’ve never made a gender based double standard comment anywhere. Either you can afford it, or you cannot. It’s as simple as that.
Sex is either procreational or recreational. I think it’s quite clear in Ms. Fluke’s case it is not procreational. Why should others be forced to pay for her recreational activities? I want to learn to golf, but I’ll wait until I can afford lessons instead of demanding someone pay for it for me.

Mistie -
I hadn’t heard about the friend – I’d love a link to more information. Is her friend also a law student at Georgetown? Did her friend also already know of Georgetown’s policies already in place before she attended? It’s also not true that either insurance covers birth control, or it does not. In the WSJ, in an opinion authored by a JD graduate of Georgetown, she says that medical conditions that are remedied by birth control are covered by Georgetown’s policies. There are options for everyone. Demanding a third party, whose policies were already clearly stated, change their policies to fit your own needs is not the answer. Again, I don’t know much about the friend, I’d need more information.

Kacie

That racist, misogynist pig does not use satire; he says disgusting, horrible things because he wants to shock his audience, but he actually believes the nonsense that he spews.

Ash

I’m glad that he’s losing sponsors, but it’s irritating that his sponsors were fine with him saying racist and homophobic “jokes” (haha. no.) for all these years. Why is it that this is the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I know it’s not the fact that he attacked a woman because the sponsors seemed ok with the whole Rutgers incident.

And for the record there’s a difference between being conservative and being ignorant & hateful. Until people learn what that difference is, they need to stop talking and take a seat.

LCT

Amen to that!!!

This man needs to go away. He is hateful and gross and a filthy hypocrite.

I tend to have more “conservative” views, and I also love sarcasm and dark humor, but this man is so far beyond the bounds of decency, it’s ridiculous. I cannot stand him.

Oh, and I was on the pill for 3 years (and guess what, far-righties? I’ve only had one sexual partner–my husband!), and just last year switched to condoms because the pill had killed my sex drive. Look at me, being a slutty faithful wife who wants to sex up her husband!

:P

Krissy

LCT,
No one is accusing you of being a slut, nor is that the issue in the whole Sandra Fluke debacle. The issue is that, unlike you, Ms. Fluke is demanding that someone other than herself, pay for her to be on birth control so that she may have sex whenever and with whomever she pleases. You are a responsible adult who paid for her own birth control (whether by insurance, or out of pocket, or whatever) and that is AWESOME. The issue is that Georgetown should not change its policies because Ms. Fluke would like her birth control paid for by them.

Krissy

Jennifer –
For some reason, it won’t let me add another comment to yours, so I’ll do it here. I just noticed that you are, in fact, one of the ladies’ who authored this post, so I apologize for that oversight in my previous comment.
Second, I just wanted to include some links in case my comment about both sides being offensive seemed unfounded.

I have been listening to Rush by podcast for years. I don’t miss a word he has said. He has NEVER made a racist joke. NEVER.

If he had, you would hear it round-the-clock. But no one actually plays his racist jokes, because he never made any.

I implore everyone to listen to Rush with an open mind. (And take a little time, it’s not always obvious when he’s kidding or not). You will be amazed that he is not racist and not the least homophobic.

BTW, those who are opposed to gay marriage are not necessarily homophobic. They just have a different point of view on the law.

Krissy

I so agree, Terri.

superjack

Terri,

Your comment gives me such a headache that I need some of Rush’s OxyContin. That man has said so many intolerant, hateful things over the years that I can scarcely pick the worst. Let’s just leave it at playing “Barack the Magic Negro” and saying, “Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”

Look, I know that in order to continue listening to Rush, you have to justify it to yourself that he’s great or funny or thoughtful (or a “satirist,” which is preposterous), but you should at least admit that the only argument against marriage equality is an argument against gays.

Yours,
J

Ash

Dear Terri,

Thank you for correcting me, Rush hasn’t made racist jokes because joking about racism would imply that he is not a racist. I don’t think you would hear about him making racist comments “round-the-clock” because he has been getting away with it for years. You will be amazed to find that he is quite racist.

I would like you to read this list with an open mind and even though the first group of comments are directed toward President Obama, there are plenty more that are about people of color. I hope that you realize that if Rush can make this many racist comments in 4 years without people hearing about it “round-the-clock”, then he can make many more racist comments in his long radio career.

BTW, I am well aware that there are people who do not agree with homosexuals and their desire to get married and I can respect their opinions. Are you aware that it is possible to be against something AND be civil about it? You can also express your disapproval of gay lifestyle and not be rude and obnoxious. The problem is that Rush is not just obnoxious about it, he uses offensive and HATEFUL language when referring to gay people. An example of this is when he suggested ABORTING GAY FETUSES (is that the plural form?) if it were possible to determine that fetus’ sexuality.

I know you have been listening to Limbaugh’s podcast for years but you have obviously missed some of the words he said or you have selective hearing. Either way, you obviously don’t know what you are talking about, so I am going to politely ask you to research the topic you are trying to argue before you attempt to disprove me.

Thank you and have a blessed evening.

Terri

Rush is opposed to ALL abortion so I am sure he never recommended aborting anyone — gay or straight. Unless he was doing what he frequently does — using the absurd to illustrate the absurd. The reason you think he made hateful comments is because other people told you he made them. If you listen to his program long enough to know whether he is joking or not, you will have a completely different understanding of what he is doing. But it does take a bit of time to know when he is kidding or not.

He is keeping everyone entertained by a really odd but unique kind of humor. He has something like 20 million listeners per day. 20 million listeners would turn off the radio if he was 1)racist or 2)homophobic or 3)not funny.

He talks for 15 hours per week. If you take a paragraph or two out of a show and don’t hear the whole show — you can’t possibly know whether or not he is kidding. Or what the context truly was.

This last week, no regular listener really thought he didn’t like women or thought this girl was a ‘slut’. Again, people who regularly listen know that he is really kidding, but making a point at the same time.

May I suggest you look at a less biased website the Media Research Center:

Terri, Did you just list the Media Research Center as a non-biased website? That’s funny.

Kacie

Absolutely; he also did not just call her a “slut” and a “prostitute”; he said her life has no purpose, implied that she has been having sex since junior high, and has to sleep with so many people, proving he doesn’t even know how birth control works. Over the years he has said horrendous comments, and I’m glad they finally are catching up with him. From insulting Michael J. Fox to President Obama, to calling women who want equal pay for equal work “feminazis”, he is disgusting. The only thing more disgusting is the 20 million people who agree with him.

Ted Mortenson

So, Bill Maher can call Sarah Palin a c**t on his show and that’s fine. He gave a MILLION dollars to Obama’s super PAC last week and Obama has nothing to say about it. He called up Fluke to make sure she was ok, but he didn’t call up Sarah Palin to see if she was ok, or if her daughter was ok after being called a slut by just about everyone on the left.

Enough with the phony outrage!

Krissy

Ahh Ted, you’re so right! I so agree.

Ted Mortenson

The comments about him being racist are ridiculous. Not only has he never made a racist comment on his show, his show producer, friend and right-hand man Mr. Snerdly is black.